However, the thing about being on vacation is that I don’t usually eat very well. I usually spend most of my time out at restaurants and eating whatever I want. Then, by the time I go home I’m ready for a healthy eating detox. Also, restaurants are expensive. So I was wondering if it was possible for me to cook some meals in my hotel room. Ya know, so I could be a little healthy, feel homey, and spend a little less. I did some research and I found out people make all kinds of crazy meals in hotel rooms!  I’ve compiled ten ideas for hotel cooking. 

I’ve chosen recipes that can be made with things found in a standard hotel room: mini fridge, coffee maker, iron, and mugs. The only special tools you should need are aluminum foil and knife, which I bet you could borrow from the hotel.

1. Yogurt with Granola – Easy, delicious and filling. Also, if you have a favorite homemade granola that’s really easy to bring with you in your carry on.

2. Cereal – Use the mug in your hotel room as your bowl, and you’re set for cereal. Buy your favorite brand from a local grocery store, or mix your own cereal using some granola, oats, and dried fruit. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t mix and match what you make for breakfast.

3. Soft or hard boiled egg – This is such an ingenious recipe idea! Put the egg in the coffee pot then run the water through and your egg will cook. So simple and yet so cool.

4. Ginger and Lemon Fruit Salad – Fruit salad is so easy and eating lots of fruit in the morning always makes me feel healthy. I like this recipe because you can buy almost all the ingredients pre-sliced in case you don’t have access to a knife and cutting board. Also, I think using ginger and lemon sounds like a nice twist.

5. Oatmeal – I’m not a fan of oatmeal, but it makes sense for travel breakfasts. It’s easy to carry with you and easy to fancy it up with seasonings, fruits, and honey.

1. Rice –  Use instant rice and all you have to do it run the water and keep the machine running so it will stay hot until cooked through. Rice can be a great base. You can mix in things you buy at the store or mix in leftovers from when you went to a restaurant.

2. Steamed vegetables – This recipe seems like a lot of work because you’ll have to run the water through a few times to get the vegetables to your desired done-ness. However, sometimes I crave vegetables after eating lots of heavy foods, so it might be worth it. Also you could also cut the veggies thin and then “grill” them using the iron. You can see videos on cooking veggies in a coffee maker here.

3. Quesadilla – So easy and very few ingredients. All you’ll need is tortillas, cheese, and other thing veggies or spices you might like. Wrap it all in aluminium foil and then press it with a hot iron until melted. Easy and delicious.

4. Grilled cheese – Basically the same method as the quesadilla. You don’t have to go crazy and be as fancy as to make crab grilled cheese, but you can add some flair to your sandwich and simply press it with the iron covered in aluminium foil.

5. Lemon Pepper Chicken – I’m simultaneously terrified and intrigued by this recipe. I mean cooking chicken in a coffee pot?! But basically the idea is that you’re poaching the chicken. It seems worth trying just to see how it would come out. Also, you could cut the chicken really thin, wrap it in tin foil, and cook it with a hot iron.

So here’s a list of 10 recipes, 5 for breakfast and 5 for lunch and dinner, that you can cook in a basic hotel room. I’ll let you know what I try out and if I’m brave enough to cook in the coffee pot!

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In December, I got in the habit of stopping by Costa Coffee before work and getting a chai tea and a granola bar. It was a lovely holiday treat (they had these adorable cups that looked like reindeers and elves), but it’s not a habit I can keep. It takes up too much time in the morning so I run the risk of being late. But more importantly, it’s expensive. And on that note why are granola bars so expensive? Even when you buy a box from the grocery store there are only like six in a box! I need more! I love granola for breakfast. I could eat granola for breakfast every day. So I decided to take matter into my own hands and see if could make my own breakfast bars.

I thought this would be an easy project since there are a bajillion recipes out there. But it wasn’t! I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I decided to make my own recipe. Let me tell you, I I had many failed attempts. Bars came out dry, crumbly, and bland. I made one version when I was in Connecticut and my brother asked me what it was, and I said, “I don’t know, nothing.”  Finally, I’ve cracked it. My perfect granola bar is full of protein and fiber, with lots of crunchy bits, is chewy, and some sweetness.

While deciding what I wanted to make, I looked at all kinds of recipes. Some of them had what I consider scary ingredients like wheatgerm or chia seeds. I’m sure they aren’t actually scary ingredients, but I didn’t want these bars to be too out there. I wanted my bars to be fairly healthy and full of stuff, but stuff that is already in my pantry. For the crunchy bits, I stuck to oats, rice cereal, and quinoa. Enough ingredients for the bar to be hearty, but not so much that the bar is dry and weird.

But, the one ingredient I knew I wanted to use above all else was peanut butter. Peanut butter is filling, which is what I need in the morning. I hate having breakfast and then being hungry by 10:00am. I need breakfast that will carry me to 1:00pm.

And then what goes better with peanut butter than jelly? So now, I had my idea: peanut butter and jelly breakfast bars. Or, since I’m in the UK, it’s peanut butter and jam breakfast bars. Jelly is gelatin here. But I digress. PB&J is just a perfect combination that is so comforting and delicious, I could eat it at any time. I eat PB&J for breakfast when there’s nothing else in the fridge. I eat PB&J for lunch when there aren’t leftovers in the fridge. I eat PB&J for a snack. And I eat PB&J for dinner if Ryan and I don’t feel like cooking.

This is a good breakfast bar because it will tick all the boxes and satisfy your breakfast cravings. You can grab a bar and run out the door. It’s chewy so you don’t break your teeth. It’s crunchy so you feel like you’re eating something substantial. It’s got lots of protein and fiber so you’ll feel healthy and pleasantly full. And it’s got jam and honey, so there’s enough sweetness to make this a treat. So for me, problem solved. I’ve got my breakfast bar, now I’ve got to figure out how to make excellent chai tea and I can cut out the coffee shop all together.

Messy level: For a recipe that has a number of sticky ingredients (peanut butter, honey, and jelly) it is surprisingly clean to make. Everything is mixed between two bowls and then pressed firmly into a tray. It’s really very straightforward and you shouldn’t have too many dishes at the end.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars

 

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Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup honey
• 1½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup rice cereal
• ¼ cup quinoa
• ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts
• ⅓-1/2 cup strawberry jelly

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
3. Put the peanut butter and honey in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until combined into a thick, pourable sauce.
4. In a large bowl, add the oats, rice cereal, quinoa, and peanuts. Mix until the ingredients are evenly mixed up.
5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats. Stir until everything is coated.
6. Transfer ¾ of the oat mixture to the prepared pan. Use a silicon spatula and press the oats firmly into the pan. You want it to be as tight as possible!
7. Spread the jelly over the oat mixture. Be as even as possible, but you don't need to be a perfectionist about it.
8. Crumble the remaining ¼ of the oat mixture over the jelly. Use the silicon spatula again to press the oats into the jam. This will give you a beautiful look on the top with some jelly peaking through the granola.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
11. Remove from the pan, cut into bars, and serve.

3.2.2925

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I love granola and I eat it for breakfast almost every single day. But, even though I love granola, I take issue with most store bought granola. It’s dry, and expensive, and not always very flavorful. Almost every time I go to the supermarket I end up buying something different. My current favorite, which I’ve bought twice in a row, is called The Food Doctor Cacao & Tangerine Granola (which sounds weird but is good). However, I’m still on the hunt for a great granola.

I have had my perfect granola before. It is from Bayou Bakery in Arlington, VA. I loved that granola! It was nicely flavored and simultaneously crunchy and chewy. There were nice clusters, yummy raisins, and a bit of a sweet flavor. The problem, beyond that I no longer live in Arlington, is that it was so expensive. I don’t totally remember what it costs, but I feel like it was somewhere between $8-12. That’s too much for granola. So I wanted to see if I could make it for myself.

Today’s recipe is my second attempt at making granola. The first time I ever made it, I over cooked it and it had a burnt flavor. Thankfully, this attempt came out great! I used a combination of almond and macadamia nuts and for fruit both raisins and dried cranberries. It was what I had in the house. And that’s what is great about making granola – you can use whatever dried fruits, nuts, and seeds that you like or already having in the cupboard.

Now, full disclosure, this granola isn’t like Bayou’s. It’s crunchy and has clusters, but doesn’t have the chewiness. What makes this recipe better is that this granola smells amazing. When baking it smells like those honey roasted peanuts you can buy from street vendors in New York City. And that is the best smell ever! New York smells gross and that roasted peanut smell wafts over it all and smells like joy, and Christmas, and sweetness in your nostrils. If you don’t know that smell, go to New York, or a Christmas market, or also one time I bought a cup here in London on Tower Bridge. Or make this granola. You need to know that smell.

Anyway, all of that is to say, this granola smells like those New York honey roasted peanuts and it tastes similar once it is finished baking. So I haven’t recreated my perfect granola, but I’ve made something so good that I’m cool with living an ocean away from Bayou. I’ve been eating this granola mixed with yogurt and also by the handful straight from the tub. It easy to double this to make more in case you scarf it down too fast. 

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen. I made a small batch using just 2.5 cups of oats. I did that because I didn’t want a huge batch that I’d feel obligated to eat if it came out badly. Next time I’ll make a larger batch because this is a tasty snack.

Messy level: This is so quick and clean to make. Spray your measuring cup with some cooking spray before measuring the maple syrup and it will slide right out. Nothing will be sticky, then you just mix everything together, and that’s it!

Granola with Nuts and Dried Fruit

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup maple syrup
• slightly less than ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup raw almonds, chopped coarse
• ½ cup macadamia nuts, chopped coarse
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Put an oven rack to an upper-middle level. Heat oven to 325/160°.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Once those are mixed, then whisk in oil.
4. Fold in oats and nuts until thoroughly coated. If the oats and nuts don't seem coated enough, splash in a little more maple syrup.
5. Spoon oat mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Use a spatula or spoon to spread the mix across sheet into thin, even layer. Use your spoon or spatula to press the oats down until they are compact.
6. Bake until lightly browned, about 35-40 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through. I don't stir it during the baking process because then it allows for more clusters. You can stir it if you want, but then your granola may be darker and less clumpy.
7. Remove granola from oven and cool for about 1 hour.
8. Break the granola into pieces of various sizes. Stir in the dried fruits. You stir in the fruits now because if you bake them the fruit will get really dry and unpleasant.

3.2.2807

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